Today, for billions of people around the world, sanitation systems are either non-existent or ineffective. Human waste gets out and killer diseases spread, meaning progress in health and child survival is seriously undermined. In 2013, the United Nations General Assembly officially designated a “World Toilet Day”, and sets its goal to end open defecation by 2030.

China has long been known as the home of dirty public toilets, with many rural area people using open pits which are not connected to sewage. In old times even in cities, many people living in the old courtyard houses don’t have a private toilet. In the morning and evening you used to see people in their pajamas walking to and from the public toilets. Foreign tourists used to call the public toilet in tourist spots in rural area “Ni Hao toilet”. It is a series of un-partitioned pits in the floor with no flushes or running water and people line up squatting against wall.

Plastic is so cheap that it is used for disposable – often single use – products. As a result, a huge amount of it ends up polluting the earth, creating massive global environmental problems. Plastic clogs cities’ sewer systems and increase the risk of flooding.

The number of foreign visitors to Japan in 2017 hit a new record, exceeding the previous high of over 24 million logged 2016. “Minpaku” (private lodging) services – in which accommodations in private residences are rented out to travelers – are being counted on as a solution to a shortage of hotel rooms to serve the growing numbers of inbound tourists.